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Overview of today’s cases
Vaccination
Testing
Potential exposure advisories
Nova Scotia announced 1,893 new cases of COVID-19 over two days today. The new cases are people who received a positive PCR test result from a Nova Scotia Health lab; it does not include people who tested positive using a take-home rapid (antigen) test.
That is 709 new cases from Friday (Dec. 31) and 1,184 new cases from Saturday (Jan. 1). Yesterday’s new case figure is a one-day record. (For comparison sake, there were 943 new cases in the entire month of November.)
By Nova Scotia Health zone, the new cases break down as:
• 1,288 Central
• 244 Eastern
• 171 Northern
• 190 Western
Frustratingly, because of the holiday weekend, there are no hospitalization figures released today, nor will there be tomorrow. The same with vaccination data.
Premier Tim Houston and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang have scheduled a COVID briefing for 2pm tomorrow (Monday, Jan. 3).
Vaccination
Because of the holiday weekend, there are no vaccination data reported today.
Appointments for boosters are now open to people 50 and over for whom 168 days have passed since their second shot; it is expected that booster appointments will open up for those 30 and over tomorrow.
Vaccination appointments for people 5 years of age and older can be booked here.
People in rural areas who need transportation to a vaccination appointment should contact Rural Rides, which will get you there and back home for just $5. You need to book the ride 24 hours ahead of time.
Testing
Over the course of the two days (Friday and Saturday), Nova Scotia Health labs completed 11,552 PRC tests, with a positivity rate of 16.4%.
The testing protocols have changed. Now, if you test positive with a rapid (antigen) test, you no longer will follow that up with a PCR test. Instead, you are assumed to definitely have COVID, and you and your household are to self-isolate as required.
But take-home rapid testing kits are no longer widely available — a limited number are available at the pop-up testing sites, but otherwise symptomatic people can schedule an appointment at the PCR testing sites, where they will be given a rapid test kit to take home (only those in high-risk categories will be given a PCR test).
Pop-up testing has been scheduled for the following sites:
Sunday, Jan. 2
Halifax Convention Centre, noon-4pmMonday, Jan. 2
Halifax Convention Centre, noon-7pm
Sackville Lions Club, 11am-3pm
Hubbards Area Lions Club, 11am-3pmTuesday, Jan. 3
Halifax Convention Centre, noon-7pm
Alderney Gate, 4-6pm
Brooklyn Civic Centre, 11am-3pm
New Germany Legion, 11am-3pmWednesday, Jan. 4
Halifax Convention Centre, noon-7pm
Alderney Gate, 11am-2pm
Bridgetown Volunteer Fire Department, 11am-3pm
Windsor Legion, 11am-3pmThursday, Jan. 5
Tatamagouche Legion, noon-4pm
Annapolis Royal Legion, 11am-3pmFriday, Jan. 6
Chester Basin Fire Hall, 11am-3pm
Pictou Legion, 11am-3pm
You can volunteer to work at the pop-up testing sites here or here. No medical experience is necessary.
Potential exposure advisories
School-connected case notifications have ended. And while there has been no notification of a change in policy, despite the very high daily case counts, there have been no potential COVID exposure advisories issued over the last three days.
We’ve collected all the active advisories for potential COVID exposures on bus routes and flights here.
You can zoom in and click on the icons on the map below to get information about other sites.
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Is it time yet for Nova Scotians to stand up to Tim Houston and demand he take the virus seriously yet? Or are we going to allow him to keep pretending everything is just fine?